Japan Bank lending (YoY) fell from previous 2.6% to 2.5% in January

There has been a spike in the WTI Oil futures market, with the price rising from 52.10 to a high of 53.25, with some market talk that fighting at Kirkuk is affecting Oil producing areas. As a reminder for readers, Kirkuk–Ceyhan Oil Pipeline is a 600-mile long pipeline, and is Iraq's largest crude oil export line.